ReedALOUD: By Mouse and Frog: let the stories be told!

Today, my first graders and I read by Mouse and Frog by Deborah Freedman. We had so much fun! (You can read my review of the book on this post.)  This is a fun book to read aloud! The students loved Frog's exuberance and easily identified with Mouse's exasperation at the story being hi-jacked by Frog's ideas. After reading the book, I gave the students two options to create stories together just like Mouse and Frog.

Some used the Explain Everything App to illustrate and narrate stories together. 

Some chose to write stories together:

ReedALOUD: by mouse and frog

"you got to have friends..."

I can hear Bette Midler singing this...  

Deborah Freedman knows the ins and outs of friendship well. She also knows how to convey the emotions of those friends well, her character's expressions and body language are wonderful.

In The Story of Fish and Snail, we meet two friends at a divergent moment in their friendship, one of them ready to make a big leap into something new while the other is not quite ready. 

Trust prevails as both Fish and Snail journey forth into new worlds with the safety and comfort of a familiar friend.

 

In By Mouse and Frog, two friends embark on an different kind of journey - a creative journey.

"Fastidious Mouse has one idea about how to tell a story. Free-spirited Frog has another. What happens when Frog crashes into Mouse's story with some wild ideas? Chaos!...followed by the discovery that working together means being willing to compromise—and that listening to one another can lead to the most beautiful stories of all." `from Deborah's web page

Creative genius is challenged and usurped when Mouse's quiet story about having tea at home turns into a rollicking adventure - - replete with a dragon and  king -- when taken over by Frog's exuberance. 

These two friends have to learn the creative boundaries around friendship. 

Whose story is it? How can all the creative voices be heard? What does it mean to compromise? 

This illustration tugs at my heart as Frog tries to undo the "damage" to Mouse's story. The words make it even more powerful.

All ends well as the two friends begin again with a common vision for their storytelling. 

In by Mouse and Frog, two creative heads are better than one!

Don't open or close this book too quickly, or you will miss more good things! The jacket flaps and publication information are a continuation of the story. #somuchfun